Why oh Lord, Why?

Of all the vilest profanities. Of all the most evil hypocrisies. Of all the most treacherous deceits spoken by men. Of all the most venomous lies ever told. Of all the most blasphemous words cried out in times of despair. Of all the most sinful, wicked, licentious and barbaric terrors which have ever graced the face of the earth, none could ever compare to the Christian faith which states "God cannot."

A Very Grave Person Hang Up Against the Wall

"So [The Interpreter] commanded this man to light the candle, and bid Christian follow him: so he had him into a private room, and bid his man open a door; the which when he had done, Christian saw the picture of a very grave person hang up against the wall; and this was the fashion of it. It had eyes lifted up to heaven, the best of books in his hand, the law of truth was written upon his lips, the world was behind his back. It stood as if it pleaded with men, and a crown of gold did hang over his head."

- John Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress

While witnessing in Αγια Παρασκευι, I met a girl named Tina who was waiting to catch a bus. She was probably in her early twenties; seemed to be the classic college student in a sense. I witnessed to her about Jesus Christ and we talked about the lack of sufficiency in the teachings of the Orthodox Church. She may have been the person most open to the gospel that I have met in my life, and just when I was going to ask if she wanted to commit her life to Jesus, the bus came, and she ran to catch it and left.

This was a girl I barely knew and had no connection with whatsoever, but in that moment, I understood the burden of Jesus for people. In that moment, I was absolutely grieved for a person who I didn't know, and likely would never see again. That night I cried out to God "Oh Lord, save this girl as You have me." I still pray for her and hope that Jesus catches her up in the clouds one day.

The Flight to Greece

It seems like years and years ago that I flew on a plane from Seattle to Athens. The idea of the United States seems strange to me; the smells, sounds, foods and desires are different. The truth is though that I have only been gone for three months from my home. I only remember bits and pieces of the flight, but there certainly was some beauty to it.

I sat watching the small screen in front of me, it showed a little red blip flying over countries and continents, and it was fascinating to see where the plane was at all times. I remember flying over Ireland and England, Italy and France. The sunrise over Marseille was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen in my life.

Sitting just beside me was a kind of fruit-nut woman. The classic Pacific Northwest socks with sandals-hiker-writer-wannabe poet-spiritualist woman. We started talking, because although I would be perfectly content just to stare out the window for hours on end, she was less enthused by the adventure at hand. We talked about life and pasts and futures and things, and lo and behold, the whole "I'm going to a Greek Bible college" schtick really caught her attention and we talked about God.

I never learned her real name, but now I call her Le-anne. We talked and talked, and she thought that Jesus was a great guy, but that everybody found their own way to God. We talked more and more, and by the end she said that she thought Jesus was 'full of crock' when we talked about what He actually said. I suppose that's at least some improvement.

I'm still praying for Le-Anne, and I desperately hope that one day I see her in heaven. What a glorious day that would be.